5 Iconic Olympic Mascots: From Shuss to Miraitowa

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Paris 2024: The iconic Olympic rings, logo designs, advertising language, and pictograms are just a few of the elements that comprise the Summer Olympic Games' corporate identity.

Every four years, a number of visual and graphic elements are generated by the host city and used during the month-long multi-sport event. But there is one Olympic marketing item about which everyone has an opinion, and that's the mascot. Paris Olympics Special Page | Olympics History

Since 1968, Olympic mascots have played a significant role in the Games. Their duties include providing the Olympic spirit with a tangible form, promoting the ideals emphasised at every Games edition, showcasing the history and culture of the host city, and creating a joyous atmosphere for the occasion.

Mascots have grown to be a beloved aspect of the Olympics since the first one appeared in Grenoble in 1968. Mascots, which come in a variety of forms and sizes, give the Olympic spirit a tangible form while adding joy and celebration to the Games. Before the Olympics in Paris in 2024, learn the tales of some of the most beloved mascots from previous Olympic Games, from dancing bears to waving Sasquatch.

#5 Miraitowa

The Tokyo 2020 Games mascot, Miraitowa, was created by illustrator Ryo Taniguchi and is similar to the Tokyo 2020 Games emblem in blue and white. She can move quickly, is quite athletic, and has a strong sense of justice. The Japanese terms Mirai, which means "future," and Towa, which means "eternity," combine to make her name.

Miraitowa, the Olympic mascot, is a combination of the Japanese terms "mirai" (future) and "towa" (eternity). This name was selected to encourage people all throughout the world to have unending optimism for the future.

The mascot echoes the idea of "innovation from harmony" by embodying both the old and the new with its futuristic and classic appearance. The Tokyo 2020 Games' symbol, which consists of three-sized indigo-blue rectangles like a chessboard, is shown on its forehead.

#4 Misha

The Olympic mascot, Misha the brown bear, did not become a household name until Moscow in 1980. Souvenirs featuring Misha the bear are still in demand in Moscow and are a beloved classic.

In Russia, bears are a common animal and may be found in a lot of popular songs, stories, and poems. Misha has five bands around his waist that are coloured like the Olympic rings, forming a striped belt. Each of the five rings on the belt is one colour.

Misha rocketed off on a "Soyuz" on June 15, 1978, to spend some time on the "Salyut 6" space station.

After the Games Closing Ceremony, in front of 100,000 people at the Great Arena, a huge Misha bid them farewell in an emotional moment before being carried aloft by balloons and vanishing into the sky.

#3 Cobi

If any mascot has been able to match Misha's level of popularity, it is Cobi. Created by the renowned designer and illustrator Javier Mariscal, Cobi served as the official mascot for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Mariscal made the decision to steer clear of the idea of an unachievable hero or an athletic body image while developing Cobi in favour of a warm and approachable design that would appeal to all.

The acronym COOB'92, which stands for the Barcelona '92 Olympic Organizing Committee, is referenced in the name Cobi. The name was picked since it is straightforward and pronounceable in most languages.

Cobi is a cubist-style humanised Pyrenean mountain dog. He has an astonishingly enormous wardrobe, yet has the same attitude and three spiky hairs. When Cobi was first introduced, opinions were divided; nevertheless, in the months before the Games, he gained prominence and proved to be a tremendous success.

#2 Waldi

For the Munich Olympics in 1972, graphic designer Elena Winschermann designed Waldi, a dachshund, who became the first official mascot of the Summer Olympics.

Winschermann was a member of the group under the direction of Otl Achter, a designer who was in charge of creating the Games' visual identity that year.

Famous for its stamina, determination, and agility, the dachshund is a highly favoured animal in Bavaria. The mascot has many colours: at least three of the six Olympic colours are included in its striped body, while its head and tail are both pale blue.

#1 Shuss

This was the first Olympic mascot, which debuted at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Games. Shuss is his name; he is a one-footed skier with a blue lightning bolt leg and a red ball for a head. Throughout one evening, cheerleader Aline Lafargue created Shuss. He became the starting point of all future Olympic mascots.

At that time, the Organising Committee most frequently referred to Shuss as "character" rather than "mascot". Shuss was offered on a number of products, including watches, pins, magnets, keychains, and inflatable versions. Shuss was quickly developed. His designer had one night in January 1967 to finish a plan that she would submit.